According to the UK's NHS website; Anxiety is a feeling of stress, panic or fear that can affect your everyday life physically and psychologically.

Here are some statistics about anxiety in 2024:

• Anxiety in the US

  According to the American Psychiatric Association, 43% of adults in the US reported feeling more anxious in 2024 than in the previous year. This is an increase from 37% in 2023 and 32% in 2022. 

• Anxiety in the UK

  In the UK, more than 1 in 7 adults reported that their mental health was either bad or the worst it's ever been. Young people aged 16–24 were the most affected, with 23.5% describing their mental health as bad or the worst. 

• Anxiety worldwide

  Anxiety affects 284 million people worldwide. 

I've been using Dr Caroline Leaf's NeuroCyle App for over three months now and I'm amazed how brain neuroplasticity makes it possible to retrain and control your thoughts.

Sit upright in a comfortable position.

Breathe in through your nose for a count of 7 and out for a count of 11.

When you breathe in, your brain receptors

• Quicken the heart beat

• Increase the breathing rate

• Increase the production of Adrenalin

When you breathe out, your brain receptors

• Slows our heart beat

• Reduces our breathing rate.

• Decreases the production of Adrenalin

Because this exercise takes a degree of concentration, it helps take our minds off other things, which is perfect for returning the body to pre stress levels and allow clear thinking.

The benefits come from breathing out for longer than you breathe in.

If it's too challenging to breathe in for 7 and out for 11, start with 3 in and 6 breathes out.